Reaming-machine.



W. L. CLARK.

REAMING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 19164 1,287,636. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

ISHEETS-SHEET 1.

W [MA ATTORNEY W. L. CLARK.

REAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE2I. I916 1 ,28'7,636. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

' 'I SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR {W By {404/ ATTORNEY W. L. CLARK.

.mmms meme.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE2I.I9I6

Patented Dec. 17, I918.

7SHEETS$HEET 3.

M TTOR/VE I It c W. L. CLARK.

REAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1916.

INVENTOR Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

7 SHEETSSHEET 4 ,ATTOR/VEY W. L. CLARK.

REAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1916.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY W. L. CLARK.

I REAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. IQIE Patented Dec. 17, 1918. fjqlz F JJ.

EETS-SHEET 6.

m MATTORNEy W. L. CLARK.

REAMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. I916.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7 ,nrromer WALTER L. CLARK, OF SPRINGFIELD,MASSACHUSETTS.

nnaxmo-amonmn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed June 21, 1916. seria m. 104.862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER L. CLARK, a citizen of the United States.residing in S'pringtield, Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Reaming-lllachines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention provides a machine which is especially adapted forreaming long holes and especially for reaming out the holes drilled inlong narrow work-pieces such, for example, as rifle barrels and thelike. It is adapted to operate on a comparatively large number of suchwork-pieces within a compact space so that a large output can be securedwith a single operator to control the operation: or conversely a desiredoutput can be secured under the control of a minimum number ofoperators. A plurality of reaming units are operated simultaneously, butindependently of each other. and means are provided for automaticallycontrolling the operation of each reamer when abnormal conditions arise.The operator is in fact little more/than an attendant who inserts thework-pieces. starts the machine and removes each work-piece when theoperations thereon are completed. Various other features of advanta eare referred to hereinafter.

The, accompanying drawing illustrate an embodiment ofthe invention.

Figure 1 a face elevation of a machine designed to work'on twelve riflebarrels at a time: the first two units at the left showing rea ners andrifle barrels in vstarting position: the next two showing barrels aboutv half done and the next two showing the completion of the reamingoperation: the barrels and reamers being omitted from the other units soas" to show the,mechanism more clearly:

Fig. 2 is a right hand side elevation of the same machine:

Fig. 3 is a left hand side clevationof the upper portion thereof: I Fig.4 is a transverse sectional view through one of the units;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the lower part of one of the units:

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the lower end of a latch for holding downthe carriage;

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a carriage and adjacent parts;

Fig. 8 is a section of the same approximatelv on the line 88 of Fig. 7,showing certain interior parts of the carriage in. plan;

Figs. 9 and 10 are face elevations, showing the barrel in section, ofthe beginning of a reaming operation, showing alternative methods offeed, the former showing a pushing feed and the latter a pulling feed:

Fig. 11 is a transverse view showing in side elevation a latch used inconnection with the pulling feed of Fig. 10: Fig. 12 is a sideelevation. with the casing in section. of a reaming tool;

Figs. 13 and 14 are sections of the same on the correspondingly numberedlines in Fig. 12; a i

Fig. 15 i a. top plan view of one of the reanung units;

Fig. 16 is a front elevation of a chuck, showing also in section apulley and automatic clutches relating thereto;

Figs. 17 and 18 are transverse sections of said clutcheson thecorrespondingly numbered lines in Fig. 16: one of said clutches servingto control a pushing feed and the other a pulling feed.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated it may beexplained preliminarily that the operator will insert a barrel in thefirst carriage. bring it into engagement with the reamer and then startits chuck in rotation and release the carriage to permit the automaticimpositive feed hereinafter described. after which he will pass to thesuccessive carriages, repeating the same operations for each. As soon asthe reaming of any barrel. whether the first or the last. or anyintervenin one. iscompleted the- -operator will wit draw it and insert anewone and start the rotation and feed, repeating such operationscon-tinnously: the machine being designed to'do its work at about thesame rate that one operator (or any calculated number of operators) canremove the finished barrels and keep it. supplied with new barrels.

The machine illustrated consists of twelve independent. units arrangedalongside of one another on a common support and carrying the barrelsadjacnt to one another in upright positions and in a common verticalplane so as to be easily accessible. Each unit includes a chuck A at theupper end for carrying a reamer B, and a carriage, indicated as a wholeat C for carrying a'barrel I) to be reamed. The chuck is given a rotarymotion and the carriage a longitudinal or feeding motion. The frame ofthe ma chine comprises a number of upright guides E preferably heavyround rods on which the carriages C are guided. The upper ends of theguides are mounted in a head rail F which at its ends is carried on endposts G mounted on a base H carrying a trough J i1 dicated in dottedlines in Fig. 2. into which the oil flows out of the lower ends of thebarrels during the reaming operation.-

The power is derived from a shaft K mounted on the base of the machineand driven from a belt L (Fig. 2) this shaft carrying pulleys and a beltM for transmitting motion to an overhead driving shaft N from which therotary movement is taken for the several chucks as well as afeed-controlling movement. For the rotary movement the. shaft. X may beoperated in either direction. For the feed-control. however. it shouldbe operated in one direction whena push feed is used and in the oppositedirection for a pull feed. The reversal of direction can be secured verysimply by crossing the belt M or by running. it open. Change speedpulleys are shown for the belt M to adapt the machine for faster orslower work accord ing to the character of the steel to be reamed. andother considerations. From the main shaft N motion is communicatedthrough change speed pulleys and a belt 0 to a worm P which drives at areduced rate a worm gear Q (Fig. 3) on a short shaft R which by furtherspeed reducing gears drives the feed-controlling shaft S.

Each chuck A is mounted in a suitable bushing on a block T (Figs. 4 and15) and carries a spiral gear I which is in engagement with acorresponding gear V mounted loosely on the main driving shaft N andheld against longitudinal movement thereon. The gear V is mounted on ahub \V which is adapted to be brought into engagement with a clutch ringX splined on the shaft so as to rotate therewith and to have a limitedslidi'ng movement to engage its tooth Y with the hub \l' or to disengageit tllOl'cfi'Ulll. The clutch X is rcciprocated by a fork Z mounted on atransverse shaft (1. which at the. front of the machine carries an arm7) from which hangs an operating rod c within easy reach of theoperator. A block r! carried on the rear face of the arm 7) has a.projection c adapted to ride past the spring pressed rod 1 which ismounted in the fixed which block '1, so as to serve as an impositivelock for the clutch arm, insuring its being thrown completely either tothe clutching position or to the unclutching position.

Each arriage C is fastened to the lower end of a cable 7 which passesupward therefrom and over a pulley ii and carries at its opposite end a.counterweight (Fig. substantially Ct)llllltfllNllflllCOS the weight ofthe carriage and a barrel therein. When the carriage is to be pushed upagainst. the reamer an additional operating weight or weights k, k areprovided, being adaptco for easy attachment to and detaclnnent from thecable g by removin the nut l on the bottom of the rod m whichconstitutes practically the lower end of the cable and which supportsthe. weights thereon.

Before introducing anew barrel the operator will pull the carriage downby hand until the hook n on the lower end of the latch 0 cngages aprojection 11 clamped on the adjacent guide E. The carriage will then beopened and a new barrel put in, after which the operator. by pushing thetop of the latch 0. will release the carriage and allow it to slide. upeasily until it brings the work intoengagement with the end of thereamer. From this point. the operating weights will force the work overthe tool with sufficient force to secure the desired rate of feed. Theseweights produce an impesitive. feed, and the feed for each reamin unitof the machine is independent of the feed for the other units. As themetal is softer or the resistance less for any other reason, the feed isfaster, and vice "ersa; constant feeding pressure being maintained butnot a forced movement.

In performing work of this sort, moreover, the tool is apt to find hardor soft spots in the work, or points in which the drillin is notabsolutely accurate; and as the drill passes from a harder or a moreconstricted point in thelength of the barrel there is a tendency for itto advance with a quickened motion (or rather for the barrel to advancein this way) with a liability of injury to the work or to the reamer. Toavoid excessive speed at any point in the operation I provide means forputting a maximum limit on the feed so that I have not only theimpositive or yielding feeding pressure, but I have also a limit on thespeed with which it can operate. The weights will feed the barrel asslowly as its hardness necessitates. But when a soft spot or an enlargedbore arrives the movement of the pulley over which the operating cable Gpasses will be limited to a certain maximum by being automaticallyclutched to the feed controlhng shaft S. Fig. 4 shows the clutch indotted'lines and Fig. 17 shows a. transverse'section of the same. Theparts rotate in the direction of the arrow (Fig.

faster than the shaft S ried freely in the larger ends of the recessespulley h is traveling the balls will be car- 17) and as long as the inthe clutch block S. 'hen, however, the pulley commences to travel fasterthan the shaft the balls will be carried to the smaller ends of theslots and will jam there and prevent the pulley from turning faster thanthe shaft. Each of the carriages ot' themachine is separately controlledin this way so that the feed of each barrel is quite independent of thatof the other barrels and is determined solely by the conditions whichare best for the particular barrel in question.

For securing a good alinement of the work and the tool and maintainingsuch alinement throughout the operation the barrel D is carried in atrunnioned block of the carriage C. The block 1-, Figs. 7 and 8 has anopening in which the upper portion of the barrel D is clamped by meansof a block .9 actuated by a screw t with a handle 11. The block 1* has atrunnion 1) extending transversely through a U-shaped block to which inturn is provided with trunnions at: extending into the sliding portionsof the carriage C. Thus the barrel is free to swing transversely orsidewise and the tool may follow easily the-direction of the holedrilled in the barrel.

The reamer indicated generally at B has a -asing 3 (Fig. 12) from whichprojects the lower end 01' the fluted cutter 2. The upper end 2 of thecutter extends into the casing and has a vertical groove 3 through whichthe oil is. fed freely to the cutter edges. The oil flows downwardthrough the open end of the barrel and into the trough J (Figs. 1 and 2)thence it is raised by means of a pump l and pipe 4 to a pipe 5extending from end to end of the machine at the top as shown in Figs. 4and 15 and having branches 6 which lead through cocks T to packing rings8 which embrace the upper tubular ends of the chucks A which in turncarry the tubular shanks ot the reamers. Each of the cocks 7 has clampedon it a lever 9 from which depends a rod 10 adapted to be pulled down orpushed up by the operator to admit or cut oil oil from any one of theunits desired. Ordinarily the removal of a finished barrel and thesubstitution of a new one takes so little time that the operator neednot cut off the oil supplied to the unit in question while making thechange. But if any unit is out of use for a considerable period thesupply should be cut otl'.

it is preferable sometimes. especially where the hole to be reamed is ofsmall di ameter and shank of the reamer has to be of considerablelength. to pull the reamer through the hole rather than to push itthrough. thus keeping the shank of the reamer in tension so.'that it ismore certain to he kept straight than where the work is pushed'againstit. The present machine is designed to permit either a pulling or apushing operation as desired, depending upon the character of the work,the shape of the reamer and other considerations. The machine has beendescribed above as operating with a pushing feed. For a pulling teed theoperating weights is, in of Fig. 5 will he removed, leaving thebalancing weights on the cables, and equivalent operating weights .willbe placed on each carriage so as to pull it downward instead ofpushingit upward. Such weights are shown in Fig. 10 at 11 and 11". Theyare located on rods 11 which extend downward from the rear of thecarriage proper l: to the rear of a sort of tail block llof the carriagewhich is guided on the rods *1 so as to steady the carriage; the tailblock having an opening through which the lower part of the barrelextends loosely and which prevents excessive swinging movement of thebarrel. The weights l1 and 11 tend to pull the carriage down withthesame force with which the weights 7;. It" tended to push it up. Thefeeding pressure is adjustable by using weights of different sizes,either for pushing or for pulling. For this case also the carriage isprovided with a projection 12 (Fig. 11) adapted to be -aught by theshoulder of a latch 13 which is mounted near the upper end of one of theguides l). in working the machine in this way the operator, firstremoving the reamer B from its chuck A, will slide the carriage up untilit is caught by the latch 13. He will then insert. the barrel and clampit. The reamer B will then be introduced. passing its stem upwardthrough the barrel and clamping its upper end in the chuck A. The latch13 being then witluirawn the operator will lower the barrcl until itengages the cutting end Z of the reamer and will operate the chuck whichro tates the latter. 'lhereaftcr the operation will be automatic. theweights 11 and 11 producing an impositive pulling feed. The clutch hshown' in Fig. 18 on the controlling shat't will operate through balls-1+ to put a maximum limit on the speed oi rotation of the pulley ii andconsequently on the rate of tee In this operation the shaft '5' will berotating in the opposite direction from that in which it rotates duringa pushing feed. the reversal being secured by crossing the main belt asabove. descrilu-dQ in each case (for Fig. 17 or for Fig. In) the shaft Srotates in the same direction as the pulley l1 and when one of theclutches as h" is operative the other. as S is idle.

The apron 15 (Fig. 2) is arrangedat the front of the machine to preventsplashing of oil on the workmen. being pivoted at its lower edge andbeing fastened at its upper edge by a chain ll so that the operator canlean forward nd the apron will wing inward as he bears against it. Anapron 17 is also provided at the rear of the reaming mechanism. hingedat its upper edge so that it will rest. approximately vertical and willprevent splashing of the oil in the tmckward direction.

'lhough l: have described with great particularity of detail a certainembodiment of my invention yet it is not to be under stood therefromthat the invention' is restricted to the particular embodimentdisclosed. various modifications thereof in detail and in thearrangement of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. reaming machine inchiding in combination a plurality of reaming unitsarranged alongside of each other and adapted to hold a correspondingnumber of long narrow workpieces within easy reach of the same operator.said units operating in a vertical direction and having a separateautomatic impositive feeding means for each unit. so that the rate offeed in the several units may vary according to the conditions. saidfeeding means being adapted to permit a separation between the reamerand the work by a movement of one vertically beyond the other, so that asingle operator can readily withdraw such workpieces as they arecompleted and reinsert others.

2. A reaming machine including feeding mechanism the feed of which isdetermined by the resistance of the work.

3. A reaming machine including insight-- driven feeding means.

4. A reaming machine including in combination a plurality of reamingunits arranged alongside of each other and adapted to hold acorresponding number of long narrow wi'u'kpieces within easy reach ofthe same operator, said units operating in a vertical direction andhaving a separate feeding means for each unit. said feeding means beingadapted topermit a separation between the reanier and the work by amovement of one vertically beyond the other, so that a single operatorcan readily withdraw such workpieces as they are completed and reinsertothers and a plurality of upright guides for said units. ach unitcomprising a rotating chuck at one end of said guides and a carriagesliding on said guides.

5. A reaming machine including in combination aplurality of reamingunits ar ranged alongside of each other and adapted to hold acorresponding number of long narrow workpieces within easy reach of thesame operator. said units operating in a vertical direction and having aseparate feeding means for each unit. said feeding means being adaptedto permit a separation between the reamer and the work by a movement ofone verti sa'lly beyond the other, so that a single operator can readilywithdraw such workpieces as they are completed and reinsert others and aplurality of upright guides for said units, each unit comprising arotating chuck at one end of said guides and a carriage sliding on saidguides, and said feeding means giving to each carriage a feedingmovement dependent on the resistance of its work and independent of thefeed of the others.

6. A. reaming machine including in combination a plurality of uprightguides, a plurality of reaming units on said guides and arrangedalongside of each other and adapted to hold a corresponding number oflong narrow workpieces within easy reach of the same operator. each unitcomprising a rotating chuck at one end of said guides and a carriagesliding on said guides, said units operating in a vertical direction andhaving a separate feeding means for each unit comprising a pulley and aweight suspended from a cable passing over said pul ley to its carriage,said feeding means being adapted to permit a separation between thereamer and the work by a movement of one vertically beyond the other. sothat a single operator can readily withdraw such workpieces as they arecompleted and reinsert others. and a continuously rotating shaft passingthrough the pulleys of the several units and carrying for each pulley aclutch adapted to engage the pulley when it rotates as fast as the shaftand thus to prevent faster rotation.

7. A reaming machine including in combination a carriage. acounterweight for balancing the same and feeding means adapted to beapplied to the counterweight to cause a feed in one direction or to thecarriage to cause a feed in the opposite direction.

8. A reaming machine including in combination a carriage. verticalguiding means therefor and means for feeding said carriage to a positionbeyond the end of the reamer. said carriage adapted to hold the upperend of the work and to permit it to swing.

9. A reaming machine including in combination a carriage. verticalguiding means therefor and means for feeding said carriage to a positionbeyond the end of the reamer, said carriage adapted to hold the upperend of the work and to permit it to swing. and means for limiting suchswinging movement.

10. A reaming machine including in com bination a carriage. animpositive feeding means operating said carriage and means for limitingthe maximum rate of such operation.

11.. A reaming machine including in combination a feeding means adaptedto be retarded in proportion to the resistance of the work and means forlimiting the maxiadapted to engage said pulley when it .ro-

mum rate of feed. tates as fast as the shaft and thus to pre- 12. Areaming machine including in com vent faster rotation. 10 bination afeeding means comprising a In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set 5weight and a cable passing over a pulley my hand.

and a continuously rotating shaft passing through said pulley andcarrying a clutch WALTER L. CLARK.

